How do we retain our humanity in the AI era?

Over the past couple of years, something that was once the topic of science fiction has become reality: we now find ourselves in the era of artificial intelligence, and it is changing the way we live and work at breathtaking speed.

So suddenly has it arrived and begun to transform our professional and private lives that we as a society haven’t really had a chance to pause and reflect on the profound implications of this revolutionary and extremely powerful technology. 

This is why it is so crucial that people like Dr. Susie Alegre , a leading international human rights lawyer, AI expert and author, are making their voices heard.

In her new book “Human Rights, Robot Wrongs: Being Human in the Age of AI”, which will be available from Waterstones from 2 May, Susie delivers an urgent polemic and explores the ways in which artificial intelligence threatens our fundamental human rights – including the rights to life, liberty and fair trial; the right to private and family life; and the right to free expression – and how we protect those rights. 

Susie was kind enough to sit down and share with me some insights into the threat that AI poses, the challenges she faced in writing her new book, and what it means to be human. Her book is suffused with potential answers to this last question, something that I obviously find completely fascinating, given that my ethos can essentially be encapsulated with the two words “human first”.

Susie, let’s start with a nice, easy question: what does it mean to be human?

“There are so many potential answers to this question, but in its very essence, being human is ultimately about the ability to feel emotions, engage with other humans and form a society. A key element in defining our humanity is dignity: treating others with dignity, having dignity ourselves, and caring when our own dignity and that of others is denied or stripped away. And our humanity also rests in our ability to think and reason about the future and what we want for ourselves, for our communities and our planet.”

What are the risks that AI poses to humanity if we don’t put the necessary safeguards in place?

“One of the greatest threats lies in the way that the tech industry is promoting AI as the next great thing in almost every aspect of our working and private lives, essentially positioning the technology as a replacement to humanity. This poses a serious risk that we could lose our ability to think for ourselves and relate to each other. 

“This is most apparent in the notion of a personal AI that you turn to for information, or advice, or someone to pour your heart out to whenever you hit a bump in the road – this will lead to us becoming increasingly isolated and reliant, not to say dependent, on the technology. And the more isolated and dependent we are, the easier we are to control. That is one of the greatest dangers not of the AI itself, but of the way in which it is being inserted into and embedded within our society.

“Something else I find very concerning is that the claims around AI are often overhyped, especially in the realm of health tech. We only need to consider the case of Theranos, whose creators are currently serving prison terms for fraud. And because there have been so many cutbacks in terms of journalistic resources just as AI has exploded, there is often an absence of rigorous media scrutiny and fact-checking, so that the spurious purported abilities and benefits of some of these products sometimes go unchallenged until it is too late.

“Another major threat that receives scant attention is the environmental impact of AI, and of the tech industry in general. It demands vast quantities of resources, to a point that our planet will not be able to sustain indefinitely.”

What changes would you ask lawmakers to put in place to protect people?

“One of the big challenges of putting protective legislation in place is the prevailing attitude that you have to do everything, all at once: essentially, that you have to ‘regulate’ AI as some kind of all-pervading existential threat. But what does that really mean? 

“What is required is for lawmakers to be prepared to deal with specific cases in specific sectors. In the legal sector, for example, they could put in concrete regulations about the use of generative AI in court proceedings, and then enforce this to make it very clear to all stakeholders where the boundary lines are. Or in the healthcare space, lawmakers could ban the use of generative AI in psychotherapy. 

“So it’s about breaking the whole thing down into specific contexts and assessing whether the use of AI is appropriate in these settings – and if so, how it should then be used.”

In your career, you have worked together with some leading charities. Has this influenced your thinking on AI?

“Yes, absolutely. Working in human rights law for many years has shaped the lens through which I view the world. And my international background, and the time I have spent living and working in many different societies in Europe and beyond, mean that I don’t regard any one social community or way of being as necessarily superior to any other – there are many different ways of living, and we can choose how we want our societies to be. Nothing is inevitable.  That means we shouldn’t give up hope, but we should also never become complacent about human rights and democracy.”

Did you find it challenging to condense the wealth of information out there about AI?

“It was certainly difficult. One of the problems I faced, especially when reviewing my second draft, was the fact that there were numerous news articles appearing every day that could inform the discussion. So it was hard to draw a line and say, ‘This much and no more; I cannot include anything else’. There has to come a cut-off date in terms of the period that the book covers, and the book itself has to be deemed complete at some point.

“Another challenge was that I also had to limit myself to the areas I would cover. I didn’t cover the issue of policing, for example, even though there is a very important and fruitful discussion to be had here. Instead, I considered that taking on caring responsibilities is an experience that the vast majority of us will have at some point in our lives, making it much more relatable as an avenue to explore in the book. And so I felt that it was important to cover the issues that will resonate with most people, rather than including all the most egregious examples.”

What would you like people to take away from your book?

“In many respects, my book is a call to action: remember what it means to you to be human, and what matters to you in your life and your relationships, and make sure you aren’t losing your core humanity as you engage with AI. And prepare to fight against being left behind by AI. If you're being asked to use AI either in your private life or in work situations in a way that you don't think is right, then be prepared to push back.”

This month, I am excited about…

… Next 100 years’ big survey into the impact of AI and tech on the future of women in the legal profession. Working together with She Breaks The Law, we want to ensure women in law’s voices aren’t just participating in the Great AI Conversation, but leading it – as exemplified by Susie Alegre.

The survey is open to ALL women who work in the legal profession, not only fee earners and those in legal roles. So please take a few minutes to share your views here.

I was also thrilled to be a part of a conversation about the future of law and the future of lawyers between Richard Susskin and my own daughter, Alma-Constance, who is also co-host of Kids Law. Whilst the focus was on the future and how technology, and especially GenAI, is likely to shape the legal world, I loved the humanity and authenticity of the conversation. In one exchange, in which Richard was looking to illustrate how statues and laws can be embedded into tech products to set the legal frameworks of their use, he used “solitaire” as an example of a game Alma-C might have played. Except that she didn’t recognise it - it was something “my dad plays” and, as for physical games of cards, that’s “something I played with my grandma”. ♠️♥️♣️♦️. The generations coming after us will be tackling tech and our sense of humanity with a fresh perspective, that’s for sure!